Curtain-fixture.



PATENTED JULY 8, 1906.

C. L. HOPKINS.

CURTAIN FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1904.

. IIIIIIIIIII lll'llli llll 1w: NORRIS PETERS cm. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. HOPKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CURTAIN SUPPLY COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEWV JERSEY.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed June 13,1904.- Serial No. 212,366.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. HoPKINs, a citizen of the United States, residing at:

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CurtainFixtures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of curtain-fixtures wherein a curtain-stick carried by the curtain has .at its ends head-carrying means adapted to make frictional contact with the windowcasing, these heads usually moving in grooves extending vertically along the sides of the window-casing and being outwardly pressed by springs located within the stick.

The object of the present invention is the production of a device of this character which will hold the curtain against the upward pull of the spring-actuated roller and which may be manipulated by grasping the stick at any point along its length without danger of the device being thrown from the grooves.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of one end of my improved fixture, the curtain-stick being in its normal or horizontal position. A corner of the curtain is also shown. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the stick slightly canted. In this figure the device is represented as being raised by an upward push applied at the right-hand end of the device.

In the drawings, 10 is the curtain; 11,the usual tubular stick carried in the socket 12, formed in the material of the curtain; 13, the slidable rod within the stick, and 14 the spring for thrusting the rod 13 outwardly. At the outer end of the rod 13 is a short cylindrical spindle 15, adapted to reciprocate in the end of the stick 11. Pivoted to this spindle 15 at 15 is the elongated head 16, consisting of a shell open at the ends and outer side. In each end of the head 16 is journaled a wheel 17. Adjacent to each wheel is a brake-block 18, normally thrust into contact with the wheel 17 by the spring 19. 20 is a bar serving to loosely connect the brakes with the spindle 15 and prevented from falling out of the head by the pins 21. This bar is connected centrally to the spindle 15 by pin 22.

The operation of this device may be stated as follows: IVhen the device is in the normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, the brake-blocks 18 will be thrust by the springs 19 between the wheels 17 and the back of the shell 16, braking the wheels and causing them to serve as friction holding means, thereby restrainim the curtain against upward movement. If force be applied to the curtainstick substantially midway between the ends of the device to move the curtain up or down, the wheels may slide along the groove, as is well understood by those skilled in this art. If, however, the device be grasped at or near one end thereof and pushed upwardly, the upper wheel at the opposite end of the device will be released and permitted to rotate. This will be understood by reference to Fig. 2, in which the curtain is represented .as being raised by an upward thrust applied under the right-hand end of the stick. It will be seen that with the arrangement of pivoted head and sliding brake-blocks here shown there will be a slight angular movement of the stick with relation to the head at the left-hand end of the device, and the brakeblock cooperating with the upper wheel in this head will be withdrawn by the bar 20 from holding contact therewith, and a slight further canting of the stick will withdraw the lower wheel from contact with the window-casing, leaving the upper wheel only in contact. This upper wheel, being now free to revolve, acts as an antifriction device in a manner well understood. If the device be manipulated by grasping the stick at the right-hand end of the stick and exerting a downward pull, the lower wheel will be released and the upper wheel will be drawn out of engagement in the same manner. Briefly, then, if the curtain is manipulated by grasping the device at one end of the stick and moving the same up or down, leaving the opposite end of the device free, one of the wheels in the head at the free end of the device will be released from its brake and the other wheel in this head will be withdrawn from contact with the wall of the groove. The leading wheel or the wheel which is foremost in the direction of movement of the curtain is always released and the trailing wheel is always withdrawn from engagement.

While I have shown and described the preferred mechanical embodiment of my inven tion, it will be understood that changes in de tails of structure and relative arrangement of parts might be made within the principle of the invention and without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof. Hence I do not limit the invention to the particular form shown and described, except to the extentindicated in the specific claims.

I claim- 1. In a curtain-fixture, the combination 0 a stick, a head at the end of the stick angularly movable relatively thereto, a wheel in said head, braking means carried by the head normally preventing rotation of the wheel, and means for releasing said braking means by canting the stick, relative to the head.

2. In a curtain-fixture, the combination of a stick, a rod carried thereby, a head at the end of the rod pivotally connected thereto, wheels carried by the head, braking means adjacent to a wheel adapted to hold said wheel when the head and stick are perp endicular to each other, and means for releasing the brake by moving the stick and head out of perpendicularity to each other.

3. In a curtain-fixture, the combination of a stick, a rod carried thereby, a head at the end of the stick pivotally connected to the rod and normally perpendicular thereto, wheels carried by the head, a brake carried by the head normally holding a wheel, and means for releasing said brake by moving the stick into abnormal position, relative to the head.

4. In a curtain-fixture, the combination of a stick, a head at the end of the stick having wheels mounted therein near the ends thereof, brakes carried by said head, spring means in said head for holding the brakes in contact with the wheels, and means for withdrawing the brake from the leading wheel operable by tiltin the stick, relative to the head.

5. In a curtain-fixture, the combination of a hollow stick, a rod carried thereby, a head pivotally mounted on said rod, a wheel mounted in said head near one end thereof, a brake carried by said head, a spring normally forcing said brake into holding engagement with said wheel when the curtain-stick is horizontal, and brake-retracting means rendered operative by tilting the stick relative to the head, substantially as described.

6. In a curtain-fixture, the combination of a hollow stick, a rod carried thereby, a head pivotally mounted on said rod, wheels mounted in said head near the ends thereof, longitudinally-slidable brakes carried .by said head, springs normally forcing said brakes into holding engagement with said wheels when the curtain-stick is horizontal, and means connected to the end of said stick and engaging said brakes to retract the brake of the leading wheel when the curtain-stick is canted, substantially as described.

7. In a curtain-fixture, the combination of a hollow stick, a rod carried thereby, a head pivotally mounted on said rod, wheels mounted' in said head near the ends thereof, lon-' gitudinally-slidable brakes carried by said head, s rings normally forcing said brakes into ho ding engagement with said wheels when the curtain-stick is horizontal, and a brake-retracting bar loosely connected at its ends to said brakes and secured intermediate its ends to the end of said stick, substantially as described.

8. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stick, and a head movable angularly relative to the stick, of holding means carried by the head, and means for rendering the holding means inactive by canting the stick independent of the head.

9. In a curtain-fixture the combination with a stickand a head pivotally supported thereby, of an antiiriction-roll in the head, a brake for the roll and means for releasing the brake actuated'by the canting of the stick, relative to the head.

10. In a curtain-fixture the combination with a stick and a pivoted head thereon, of a holding means carried by the head, and means for releasing the holding means upon the canting of the stick independent of the head.

11. In a curtain-fixture the combination with a stick and a head mounted for relative angular movement, of holding means carried by the head, for'holding the shade in adjusted position, and means operable upon the canting of the stick independent of the head for rendering the holding means inactive for holding purposes.

12. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stick and a head angularly movable relative to the stick, of an antifriction-roller for the head, means for frictionally engaging the roll, and means for releasing the said lastmentioned 'means upon the canting of the stick, relative to the head.

13. In a curtain-fixture, the combination of a stick, a head at the end of the stick angularly movable relative thereto, a wheel in each end of said head, braking means carried by the head normally preventing rotation of the wheels, and means for releasing said braking means from one ofsaid wheels by canting the stick, relative to the head.

14. In a curtain-fixture for spring-actuated curtains the combination with a shade, of a curtain-stick, a head-piece movably secured to said stick, holding means'including a friction device carried by said head-piece, and means interposed between the curtainstick and friction device for releasing the same upon the movement of the head-piece relative to said stick.

CHARLES L. HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, FREDERICK C. Goonwm. 

